With the increasing popularity of portable data communication devices, the demand for access to data communication networks from remote locations has exploded. Much focus has been placed on network access in public areas, such as airports, hotels, shopping centers, coffee shops, bookstores, and juice bars where many people gather for a significant length of time. Connections to the Internet or other communication networks in public areas normally require the utilization of a telephone line or physical network connections, such as a RJ-45 network connection. The advent of wireless communications to some extent has freed users with user devices from their previous dependence on such telephone or physical network connections in order to connect to the Internet or corporate networks. In order to establish wireless communications, however, the user device may need to be in close proximity to a wireless access point due to the current limited geographical reach of wireless communications infrastructure and communication frequency bandwidth limitations.
A gateway service device can be used to assist in the connection of multiple user devices to the Internet. The gateway service device is placed in a public location, such as a hotel lobby, airport, coffee shop, bookstore, or convention center. The gateway service device aggregates the inputs of the user devices and provides a uniform access point to the Internet or other communication networks for the plurality of user devices. The gateway service device provides broadband access to the Internet or other communication networks via a high-speed T1 transmission line.
Gateway service devices are typically implemented by installing gateway service device software on a computing device, such as a TOSHIBA Magnia server. Gateway service device software may allow service providers to deploy, market, and operate broadband services to individuals who are geographically located within the service providers' area. The gateway service device software may provide one or more the following services: plug-and-play access, authentication, end-user self-provisioning, billing, tiered services, and Web-based reporting. Illustratively, Cisco Building Broadband Service Manager (BBSM) software by Cisco Systems, Inc. of San Jose, Calif. may be installed on a computing device to provide a gateway service device with the above-mentioned functionality.
Gateway service device software generally is prohibitively expensive to justify use in smaller public areas, e.g., coffee shops, and bookstores. Furthermore, the cost of a T1 transmission line is approximately $ 600 per month. Owners of large publicly-accessible areas, such as apartment buildings, hotels, office buildings, and campuses may incur these costs and be able to recoup the costs by increased rents, connection charges, etc. However, small businesses like doctor's offices, dentist's offices, coffee shops, copy centers, juice bars, auto dealerships, etc., that offer customer public areas cannot justify the minimum initial outlay for the gateway service device software and the recurring costs associated with the operation of a gateway service device, and thus may not be able to provide broadband Internet access for visitors to their establishments based on current configurations of the gateway service device.
Accordingly, a need exists for the owners of small enterprise public gathering places, such as bookstores and coffee shops, to be able to pool together resources to provide reliable, high-speed Internet access for their customers and be able to charge store patrons individually.